Not The Best Around
by Reiven
Summary: That was the second time Johnny hit the mat during the tournament, and only the fifth time in his entire competitive career. But it was the first time he didn't get back up again.
1. Try Your Best to Win Them All

**Chapter 1: Try Your Best to Win Them All**

* * *

He hated to admit how much the blow to the back of the head really disorientated him. His head was both spinning and throbbing and it took all his will power to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and actually make his way to where his sensei was standing without planting pathetically on his face. _Again_.

Death before dishonour.

That was the Cobra Kai way.

Wasn't it?

All of a sudden he couldn't remember. All he could focus on was what was right in front of his eyes and the sound of his teammates calling him names. He deserved that, it was no doubt. To let a twerp like LaRusso get the drop on him like that was just disgraceful. He deserved the ridicule and the tongue lashing that came his way.

His head hurt more than his face and he could see the smudge of red on his fingertips when he swiped it under his nose.

His sensei's fingers were hard and calloused and rough when they wiped away the rest of the blood. His eyes were cold and steely and never had Johnny felt like a disappointment than he did at that moment.

"Sweep the leg," he said and for a moment, Johnny couldn't understand what his sensei was saying or what he meant. He was desperately trying to focus on his face and his lips moving because his ears were ringing something terrible and he couldn't concentrate on the man's words. "Do you have a problem with that?"

In that moment Johnny knew that he truly had lost his sensei's trust. The trust that he'd painstakingly built and the respect he fought so desperately for… gone.

In that moment he was no longer his sensei's best student, he was just another disappointment among many disappointments.

He had nothing to lose.

"No mercy," his sensei said, his eyes steely and his voice cold.

 _No mercy_ , Johnny repeated inside his head.

That was the Cobra Kai way.

His head was spinning and his eyes couldn't concentrate anything that wasn't in his immediate line of sight. He moved on instinct alone, his sensei's voice echoing like a resonating chant inside his mind.

 _No mercy. No mercy. No mercy._

Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.

That was the Cobra Kai way.

He had nothing more to lose, not the trust of his sensei or the respect of his teammates.

He could feel the heat of Dutch's glare on the back of his head and it only reminded him that this was his last shot; his only shot. There were no second chances in Cobra Kai. You could only be a winner, runner up was a joke. Anything other than a win was a humiliating loss. It didn't matter if you lost by one point or by twenty. Whether you lost to the best in the tournament or an annoying worm like LaRusso. A loss was a loss and this was his last shot to make everything right again.

His nose was throbbing and his head was spinning; his eye could see double of everything and the last thing he needed was two of LaRusso. One was enough trouble as it was.

He needed to win. He needed _this_ win and he was going to get it no matter what.

Fair play and integrity – those weren't philosophies Cobra Kai taught, and up until that match, watching LaRusso take hit after devastating hit and keep going; keep persevering and getting back up against all odds; the tenacity he showed – that was the first time Johnny actually questioned whether everything he'd been taught was right. And to have Kreese even ask that of him, such a gutless move in front over every fighter he looked up to and respected, it showed that his sensei didn't trust his ability at all. Maybe he never did.

Johnny hated to admit it, but it hurt. More than any kick ever would.

But he did it and he could only watch as LaRusso dragged himself back up to his feet again. That was the moment that it truly really sunk in for Johnny.

He was going to lose.

The elbow to the back of the knee really was just his last ditch effort. When it failed; when LaRusso got back up again, that was the moment he felt an eerie sense of acceptance washing over him like a frothing tide lapping at the shore – like the beach he used to go with Ali. He couldn't help but remember when Ali used to say his name with fondness instead of scathing hatred. When the things she said didn't always come out so cold. He missed those times but he had only himself to blame for letting her slip out of his grasp.

Right into LaRusso's awaiting arms.

He had only himself to blame.

For Ali, for sensei, for his mom being stuck in a loveless marriage with an unkind, emotionally abusive man. That was all on him. It was his fault.

He deserved the loss just like he deserved to lose Ali, just like his sensei deserved a better student and his mom deserved a better son; one who wasn't such a pathetic loser.

That was it. It was truly the end. He was spent, not so much his physical energy but everything else.

He was going to lose and despite the reality of the situation closing in on him while he had his back to an immovable wall, on the inside, he was at peace with it.

He was going to lose, but that was okay because that was what he deserved. That was all he deserved.

His head was throbbing, his eyes were dipping in and out of focus and whatever blurry thing he could even see was spinning wildly in his sight.

He didn't even see the kick coming straight at his face.

The velocity of the kick coupled with the fact that he was rushing headlong into it snapped his head back. He could feel the impact and the sound was almost like a hypnotizing whoosh which was a strange thing to notice but it was the only thing he could focus on in the moment before the surreal feeling of disembodiment and then just darkness.

He was out cold before he even hit the mat.

* * *

The moment the kick landed. The moment Johnny Lawrence dropped to the ground; a thick, stunned silence seized the entire arena.

No one could believe what they were seeing; that the skinny kid from nowhere had toppled the titans of the All Valley tournament, the feared Cobra Kais. He'd defeated all the veteran members one by one against everyone's expectations and done what very few had ever managed to do: bring the two time champion Johnny Lawrence to his knees.

The explosion of sound that followed was deafening.

It was only the presence of the officials and the referees that prevented the crowd from engulfing the stage to offer their congratulations to the new champ. Only the members of LaRusso's corner and his mother were allowed access.

The feeling of euphoria was palpable and the excitement in the air was contagious from one person to the next.

However, as the crowd began noticing the referee kneeling over Johnny who was still on the ground, lying unmoving on his stomach; a hand on the small of his back, the noise and the chatter slowly began seeping away until the heavy silence reined once more. The final nail in the coffin was when the referee straightened up and with a frantic motion of his arm, called for the medics who were standing at the ready on the sidelines.

That was the second time Johnny hit the mat during the tournament, and only the fifth time in his entire competitive career.

But it was the first time he didn't get back up again.

 **Tbc.**


	2. One Day Time Will Tell

**Chapter 2: One Day Time Will Tell**

Every single person in the entire four hundred people capacity arena held their breaths for fear of disrupting the medics who were converged on the still motionless contestant.

The Cobra Kais were hovering close, a few kneeling down seemingly in prayer, watching the medics as they diligently worked on their fallen friend.

John Kreese knelt down by Johnny's side, a hand hovering close to his shoulder without actually touching him; his usually hard, emotionless face was actually showing cracks, glimpses of concern and even a hint of fear breaking through the stoicism.

At the far end of the stage stood Daniel LaRusso and his supporters, looking ashen and in pain, only half of which was because of his injured knee. His eyes were gazing transfixed at his motionless opponent, his mother and Ali whispering comforting words to him and squeezing his shoulder in reassurance but he wasn't heeding any of the support. Mr. Miyagi was standing silent by his side though his eyes were devastated, surveying the scene.

The crowd started murmuring amongst themselves though not one person was able to tear their eyes away from the stage.

Johnny had not stirred even a fraction since he hit the mat and even the stoic, stern looking referee assisting the medics was looking concerned.

From somewhere down the hall there was the muffled sound of sirens of the ambulance nearing the front entrance of the arena.

The Cobra Kais were pacing around the convergence of medics, referees and their sensei surrounding Johnny like a flesh and blood barrier.

Bobby could barely hold back his emotions at the sight of his friend looking so helpless. After the incident with Daniel he'd tossed his belt at his sensei's feet and stormed out. He barely made it out the building before all the pent up emotions, the disappointment at his sensei and at himself washed over him like a wave, sending him staggering to his knees in absolute devastation. Karate had been the one thing he'd been the proudest of, the acclamation he'd achieved all on his own.

And it was all over in a split second.

It was Jimmy who came running out in alarm to find him, telling him that Johnny had been hurt.

Bobby hadn't been too concerned at first. They'd all been hurt before; pulled tendons, bloodied noses, broken bones, dislocated shoulders; it was pretty much a given considering they dedicated their lives to getting kicked in the face.

The severity of the situation only sunk in once he made it back into the fight arena, following Jimmy at a less urgent pace and was greeted by the stifling silence and the concerned murmurs and the sight of his own sensei kneeling over Johnny looking worried.

He picked up his pace then and jogged up to join the rest of his team on the stage. He immediately gravitated towards Dutch, who despite his earlier feelings of anger and resentment towards him and Johnny for making it to the semi-finals was looking as scared as Bobby had ever seen him.

"What happened?" he asked immediately when he reached.

"He took a full force kick to the face," Dutch said, chewing the nail of his thumb the way he only did when he didn't know what else to do with his hands; right arm propped up on his left that he had circled around his midsection. "He's been out for almost three minutes."

"Jesus," said Bobby. "LaRusso did that?" he asked, and immediately regretted even mentioning the name.

Dutch bristled like a cat the mention. "Who the hell else could it be? What's that amateur even thinking attempting that goddamn move?"

Bobby was on the verge blurting out that they'd pulled their fair share of shitty moves on the guy as well. He wasn't at all saying that Johnny deserved to be hurt because of it, but at the same time, he couldn't stop thinking that it was karma on the lot of them. The last thing he wanted was his friend to be injured, but LaRusso definitely didn't deserve the way they treated him either.

He wisely kept his mouth shut.

Another team of paramedics jogged up to the stage and the Cobra's stepped back to make room for them.

The assembled team had managed to carefully roll Johnny onto his back. There were so many people around him that the only part Bobby could see of Johnny was his legs.

The feeling of uneasiness was heavy around him and Bobby could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Beside him Dutch had moved onto the rest of his fingernails which was a sign that he was really anxious. A glance behind him showed LaRusso being comforted by his mom and Ali, his eyes were red and glistening and in that moment Bobby couldn't find it in him to blame the guy for what happened. He did what he had to do to _survive_ , not even to win. He did what any Cobra Kai would do: strike first, strike hard, show no mercy – even if that last part had happened by pure accident.

It had barely been a few minutes since he reentered the arena into the heavy silence but it already felt like a lifetime.

No one said a word but they all feared the same thing. The fact that Johnny had been completely knocked out. The fact that he hadn't moved even an inch since he went down. The fact that their own sensei and all the officials seemed so worried.

No one dared to say the words aloud but they were all thinking the same thing.

 _Broken neck._

Bobby prayed for it not to be true.

He could hear the sound of Jimmy and Tommy sniffling beside him. Tommy had been uncharacteristically silent since he arrived which wasn't really surprising considering the direness of the situation.

Out of them all, Bobby was the closest to Johnny on a personal level. He knew things about Johnny that he would never tell the others for fear of appearing weak; about his home life and his stepdad; about his break up with Ali and how torn up he really was about it; about his fear about the uncertainty of the future. He talked to Bobby because he knew Bobby understood how he felt and that he emphasized with his fears. He told Bobby those things because he knew Bobby would never use his words against him. He confided in Bobby because he considered Bobby a good friend and Bobby did his best to be worthy of the precious trust he'd somehow earned. Johnny didn't trust people often and the fact that he trusted Bobby was something he wore like a badge of honour.

Dutch both loathed and loved Johnny in the same breath which made him the worst and the best kind of friend a person could ever ask for. He respected Johnny as a friend and as a rival and the thing that drove him as a martial artist was his drive to best Johnny in a match. They'd joined Cobra Kai at the same time and rose to greatness at the same time, but somehow, the one opponent Dutch had never yet been able to defeat in a one on one match was Johnny. The person Dutch considered his closest friend was also his biggest rival. Bobby knew that, Johnny knew that – everyone knew that, it was common knowledge and Kreese only ever fueled the rivalry. But Dutch proved time and time again to be a loyal friend first and foremost and ultimately that was the only thing that mattered.

Jimmy and Tommy both looked up to Johnny; in reverence almost, especially Jimmy who was one of their newer and less experienced members and Johnny looked out for him when he first moved there from some tiny suburban area with his parents and their white collar jobs. He was bully fodder from the moment he stepped foot into their school and luckily for him he ended up on the right side of Johnny and the Cobras. Tommy on the other hand stepped foot into their dojo one day, imprinted on Johnny and Dutch and just made himself complete comfortable in their inner circle.

Both of them were looking on, absolutely terrified.

It felt like time was standing still. He was sure hours must have passed them by without getting any sort of news about Johnny's condition but a glance at the giant clock on the wall showed him that it had barely been five minutes.

He focused his attention back on Johnny, finding his sensei now standing beside the group of medics, giving them room but still keeping close and keeping watch over his student.

And then all of a sudden movement out of the corner of his eyes snapped his attention to the present and his eyes turned just in time to see Johnny's legs move. The movement was weak but restless, like he was trying to find his footing but unable to get his feet under him to stand up.

The relief among the Cobra Kais when they too finally noticed was palpable. There was a collective exhale among everyone present. Even his sensei closed his eyes for a moment in obvious relief, as if to recalibrate his emotions and school the worry in his heart.

One of the medics reached around and placed a hand on Johnny's thigh, gently pushing his legs down to keep them from thrashing around.

Johnny did have one hell of a mean kick.

Eventually a couple of the medics finally straightened up and reached around for the backboard, sliding it into position. Bobby just watched as various hands carefully and gently rolled Johnny onto his side as the stiff backboard was slid under him. Only then was Bobby finally able to get a glimpse of Johnny.

His eyes were open, Bobby noticed with great relief, though he seemed far from lucid. His fingers were furling and unfurling agitatedly where they were lying on his chest almost like he was attempting to massage feeling back into them; his arms and legs strapped tight to the board. His neck was held immobile by a stiff brace and a strap across his forehead securing his whole head to the board.

"You're okay, Johnny!" Tommy yelled out in encouragement. "This is nothing!"

Bobby appreciated the way Tommy's encouraging words could always come across as a bit of a threat, but he supposed that was what made the guy so endearing.

Even from afar he could still see the fear shining in Johnny's eyes and to his surprise, his sensei actually reached over to take Johnny's hand, holding onto it tight. He didn't say anything, but he his gaze was slightly less cold when he looked down at Johnny and Bobby could see the way Johnny grasped on, accepting in the silent support his sensei was offering him.

The wave of relief that spread among the spectators was felt even from the stage and as the paramedics carefully lifted Johnny up, carrying him off the stage and out of the arena into the waiting ambulance, resounding applause of encouragement followed his exit.

The Cobras trailed after Johnny for as far as they could which was up to the doors of the ambulance parked out front.

"Stay strong, Johnny," someone said and the rest chimed in their support.

Johnny couldn't turn his head to look at their assembled group but Bobby saw the tendril of a smile grace his lips at the comment.

"We'll be right here, man," Bobby said, finally able to find his voice, and reached over to pat Johnny on the shin.

Dutch stayed strangely quiet beside him.

Finally Johnny was loaded into the ambulance; Sensei Kreese rode along with him while the other Cobras could only stand there in the dust listening to the sound of sirens disappear into the distance.

 **Tbc.**


	3. You're the One That's Standing There

**Chapter 3: When You're the One That's Standing There**

Win at any cost.

That was the Cobra Kai way.

That was _his_ way. He was the one who created the discipline, the one who cultivated it and taught it. The one who made it into an art form.

Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.

The method was simple.

 _Win at any cost,_ that was what he always taught his students. _No cost was too great._

But he was wrong. There was a cost that was too great, and it was a price he was nearly forced to pay.

He had noticed how dilated Lawrence's pupils were after the first hit and the way he was barely able to cover the stumble in his step when he was walking towards him but he'd brushed it off as a minor inconvenience. He was a Cobra, he'd walk it off.

He should have stopped the match when his gut told him too – when the sight before his eyes morphed from a karate arena into a war torn battlefield. When the sight of his students turned into his brothers in arms fighting at his side against an enemy they had no chance of defeating – when Lawrence lying motionless on the stage was instead a fallen brother lying in a filthy sodden ground in a pool of his own blood.

He realized in that moment that losing wasn't the same as loss and in his effort to prevent the first, he almost suffered the latter.

Sometimes winning did come at a cost – for him it was at the cost of his conscience and his soul.

Losing _always_ came at a cost and for him it was one he was still paying to this day while attempting to drown out the noise of his memories with alcohol during the nights when the pain was especially potent.

"I'm sorry, sensei," Lawrence said, unable to do anything other than stare up at the ceiling of the ambulance. Every fiber of his being seemed completely defeated and it had little to do with the actual loss.

"Sorry's are for losers," he responded. "Are you a loser, Mr. Lawrence?"

"No, sensei," Lawrence answered, choking back his emotions and the small sob bubbling up.

"Then there's nothing to be sorry for," he said.

"Yes, sensei."

"We're Cobra Kai. It'll take more than this to keep us down," he said. He'd never been much for pep talks. He was not beyond the occasional congratulatory display of approval, but only weak people and losers needed constant validation for achieving mediocrity and congratulations every time they managed to wipe their own ass. He never taught his students to strive for meaningless sentiments such as praise and compliments. So when a student showed enough gumption to be worthy of it, it would mean so much more.

But even in his hardened, world-weary soul, he acknowledged that Lawrence needed encouragement, he needed validation and support in that moment. And he gave it as best he could.

"Yes… sensei," Lawrence said through the sob that forced its way out.

A single tear trickled out the corner of his eye and down his temple, splashing onto the back board he was strapped securely onto. The tear represented everything he was feeling on the inside: the pain, the frustration and disappointment in himself – _and_ _the fear_.

Kreese couldn't find it in him to fault him for that. He'd felt the same sort of fear he never thought he'd ever experience again the moment Lawrence hit the mat and didn't get back up again. Instead, he reached over to pat him on the thigh as acknowledgement and an expression of support before leaning back to rest his back against the ambulance and crossing him arms over his chest.

He finally exhaled.

 _No fear_.

That was the Cobra Kai way, but that wasn't true, every human being feared something.

For John Kreese, he nearly relived his greatest fear that day.

* * *

There was a flurry of activity and muffled voices in the hall outside the waiting room before the group of Cobra Kais burst through the door about half an hour after the ambulance arrived at the hospital and Johnny was rushed into the emergency room.

Bobby and Jimmy arrived another fifteen minutes after the group, having stopped by Johnny's house to pick up his mother and it was another hour or so before they were seen by the doctor treating Johnny and updated on his condition.

"He's okay," the doctor said immediately and it was the two words all of them needed to hear the most. Johnny's mom immediately sobbed in relief. Bobby stuck close to her, offering a shoulder to cry her emotions on which she accepted gratefully.

He'd suffered a concussion as the result of the hit to the back of the head during the second round, exacerbated by the kick to the face almost immediately after that knocked him out. The result of the full force kick had also caused whiplash which, while wouldn't cause any long term problems, was not going to be a walk in the park to deal with for the next few months.

Eventually Johnny's mom and their sensei left to follow the doctor to go see him, leaving the rest of the Cobras to finally slump down onto the chairs in relief.

Everyone except Dutch.

"This is all his fault," he said angrily, cracking his knuckles almost obsessively as he paced up and down the room. "That twerp. That weasely little rat, LaRusso. He's gonna pay for this."

"It's not his fault," Bobby responded immediately. No even looking up at Dutch when he answered.

Dutch snapped around immediately at Bobby's comment, his expression a mix of anger and disbelief. "Who the hell's side are you even on, Bobby? I always pegged you for a dweeb lover but not after what he did to Johnny. That's pathetic even for you."

That time Bobby did look up, his brows narrowed and his gaze intense. "You know what's pathetic? A group of five people beating up on one guy, that's what. _No_. A group of five _experienced_ karate students beating up on a guy who couldn't defend himself. _That's_ pathetic, Dutch!"

"Am I even hearing you right right now?" said Dutch with a laugh of disbelief. "You're really going to sit there and defend the guy who almost _broke_ our friend's _neck_? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Me?" Bobby scoffed, spitting the word like he couldn't believe Dutch had the balls to even say those words to him. "The only thing wrong with me was that I just stood by and did nothing when I thought what you guys were doing was wrong. I love Johnny just as much as you do and I feel terrible about what happened. I'd never wish for that to happen to anyone – not even LaRusso, but don't pretend that we weren't the one who forced him into that corner," said Bobby, immediately getting to his feet when Dutch advanced on him threateningly. "We… no, _I_ could have crippled him permanently _and for what_? So that sensei could have another trophy in his case? At the expense of my reputation and my self-respect! The better question is – what the hell is wrong _you_?" he jabbed a finger right in the middle of Dutch's chest accusingly. None of the Cobras had ever seen Bobby lose his temper like that and it silenced every single one of them including Dutch who was forced to take a step back by the ferocity of Bobby's jab. "Our friend is in the hospital and the only thing you can think of is continuing with this pointless grudge match. The grudge match that landed us here in the first place!" He turned his attention away from Dutch to address the entire team present. "If anyone here lays so much as a finger on Daniel LaRusso from now on – they'll have to answer to _me_!"

He cast one last withering glare at Dutch and dropped back down onto the seat, crossing his arms over his chest as if challenging anyone to step up against him right then.

If there was one thing Dutch respected, it was balls and it was clear by his expression that he thought Bobby showed a gigantic pair made of steel right then.

"You heard the man. No one touches the twerp," he said finally, backing away from Bobby before turning around to go lick his wounded pride at the far end of the room.

Bobby could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight with Dutch of all people, but he was done being the little pebble in the way that everyone stepped over to go do whatever the hell they wanted whenever the hell they wanted to do it.

He was done being the resident doormat. If only he'd stood his ground against his friends back then, everyone might have stopped incessantly tormenting LaRusso; LaRusso might not have had to resort to doing those moves that were far beyond his capabilities and skill and Johnny might not have ended up in the hospital – _or worse_ – because of it.

 _If only_.

 **Tbc.**


	4. You'll Reach the Final Bell

**Chapter 4: You'll Reach the Final Bell**

Johnny's father was deadbeat loser who cared about no one but himself.

Laura married him out of love and he stepped out to buy cigarettes one day and never returned.

The second time she married, she married out of obligation and necessity. She didn't love Sid but he could provide for them. He had the money to give them a good life with the best opportunities and that was all she wanted for Johnny. She raised him the best she could with what she had but it never felt adequate enough. _She_ never felt adequate enough. But with Sid's money perhaps Johnny would be able to make a better future for himself, something better than she could ever have given him on her own.

Everything she did was for her son and she could hope that he would turn out to be a better man than his father ever was.

The last thing she ever expected was to come so close to losing him. That would have been a loss she never would have recovered from. But that was what she felt when Bobby and Jimmy showed up on her front step looking pale and terrified. Laura knew something terrible had happened before they even got a chance to open their mouths to explain.

But she didn't lose her son, he was still there within touching distance and real; her beautiful baby boy who'd all of a sudden turned into a man. A man she was proud of who was smart and kind and showed her the love she was denied by the other men in her life. He was a better man than his father ever was and that Sid would ever be, but he would never be anything other than her baby.

She reached over to stroke the hair back from his forehead and let her hand linger, her fingers running through the soft tresses like she used to do when he was young. He'd grow too old to want his mother to coddle him but always liked when she played with his hair.

The doctors had him on so much painkillers that he hadn't stirred even once the entire time she was there. Even his sensei had hung around for a while before leaving to deal with personal matters.

Laura had never been overly fond of the man – he reminded her too much of Johnny's dad for her to ever completely let her guard down around him. But she kept her feelings to herself because she knew Johnny looked up to and respected the man the way he'd never had a male role model to look up to and respect. She had only hoped that her son wouldn't be let down and disappointed by another male figure in his life and considering her own sad track record, it was a fear she always expected to come true.

But John Kreese had stayed with her from the moment she walked into the waiting room. He hung around close to her, not offering any words of comfort or even saying anything, but just supporting her and Johnny with his imposing presence alone. He walked with her when the doctor finally allowed them to go see him and he actually reached over to place a hand on her shoulder when she let out a shuddering breath the first moment she stepped into Johnny's room and saw her son laying there looking so vulnerable.

He stayed with her for hours, still in his fighting gi and with no shoes on. He barely said a word to her the entire time they were there but it wasn't his words that Laura needed, only his support and that was exactly what he provided.

It was just her and Johnny in the room at that point. The lights were dim and the ticking clock on the wall outside Johnny's room showed that it was approaching dusk.

The silence of the room made the usually imperceptible groan sound like it was transmitted through a loud speaker. Laura immediately straightened up, leaning over to place her hand on her son's forehead, the other reaching over to grasp onto his hand that had started moving around restlessly, calling his name softly into his ear.

Johnny still had on the strict neck brace and was slowly becoming aware of it as he surfaced from the depths of unconsciousness. His brows furrowed and he gritted his teeth; his limbs moved like he was trying to get reacquainted to the feeling of having them attached to his body.

Slowly his eyes opened.

"Johnny?" Laura called, leaning over further so that she was in her son's immediate line of sight since he wouldn't be able to turn his head to look at her. His bed was slightly elevated so that he was more in a sitting up position and would at least be able to look around at his surroundings instead of having to stare at the ceiling the entire time. "Honey?"

It took a while before his eyes finally focused, still groggy from all the painkillers being pumped into him and longer still before he even noticed his mom being there by his side.

His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper when he said, "Mom?" once his brain finally joined him in consciousness.

"Hi, honey," Laura said tearfully, "I missed you. You really worried me for a moment there."

"Sorry…" Johnny said. His grip tightened around Laura's hand holding onto his, his eyes slowly starting to glisten with the tears that were pooling in the corner. "I'm sorry, mom. I'm sorry…" he repeated. Laura could tell that the apology wasn't just for worrying her or for even for what had happened. She knew her son; she knew when whatever was bothering him went far beyond what was in the immediate present. She knew when it was about things that he'd kept pent up for so long out of fear of worrying her and causing her sadness. Johnny had always been a sensitive child. The older he got the more he tried to hide it from people, especially from her, but she could always see straight through his façade.

But the mask was crumbling right before her very eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. Nothing at all," she said, gently stroking his hair.

Johnny didn't seem to hear her or was unwilling to do so. "I'm sorry…" he continued saying like a mantra. "I'm sorry for dad. I'm sorry for Sid. I'm sorry for being such a disappointment."

" _What_?" Laura could only furrow her brows in disbelief, feeling her whole insides clench hearing her son's words. "How could you even think that? I have very few things to be proud of in my life, perhaps even just one thing and that's _you_. _You're_ my pride and joy, Johnny, the single most precious and most important person I have. And whatever happened with your dad and with Sid, that's in absolutely no way your fault. You hear me? That's on me. I don't want you to carry any of the blame for that on your shoulder. I'm the one who should be sorry for Sid, for letting him treat you that way. I only wanted to give you a better life, a life I wouldn't have been able to provide for you on my own." Laura stood up and perched herself on the side of the bed, holding Johnny's hand with both of her own, looking him straight in the eyes. "I love you, Johnny," she said through tears, "I have never, ever been anything other than proud of you and the man you've become and I would sacrifice absolutely anything and everything just for you."

Johnny couldn't keep his own tears at bay either; they pooled in the corner of his eyes before spilling out, trickling down the side of his cheeks and dripping down his jaw onto the neck brace. "I love you too, mom," he said. "I don't need Sid's money. I only need you."

Laura couldn't hold back her sob when Johnny finished, leaning down to bury her face in his shoulder. Johnny could only circle his arms around her and hug her back.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night. Laura curled into his side, legs tucked under her and his arms around her shoulder latching on tight; the way she used to hold him after a nightmare when he was a child. But he wasn't a child anymore, he was a grown man; he towered over her when they walked but he still looked at her like she was bigger than life.

It was morning by the time Laura woke up from sleep, still curled into Johnny's side with his arm around her shoulder. Carefully she pushed herself up without disturbing him; his brows would periodically furrow indicating that despite how serene his sleep seemed, whatever he was dreaming about was the complete opposite of it. Once she was on her feet, she reached over and readjusted his blanket, pulling it higher up his chest and tucking it around him the way she used to do when he was young.

She couldn't remember when she stopped doing it or _why_ – when her son finally became a teenager or the first time Sid called him a baby for still having his mom tuck him into bed.

Laura couldn't remember when she decided that giving her son a good life was more important than not allowing a terrible, emotionally abusive man to keep putting him down and hacking away at his self-esteem. As wary as she was about his sensei, she couldn't deny that finding John Kreese and Cobra Kai was one of the best things to have happened to Johnny.

She leaned over to plant a soft kiss on his forehead before retaking her seat by his bedside, reaching over to hold his hand, stroking the knuckles with her thumb as a comforting gesture for both him and her and she just waited.

 **Tbc.**


End file.
